William e



(No Model.)

W. E. DYRE.

SIGNAL. No. 439,492. Patented Oct. 28, 1890.

/IV VEN 705 I El) By 1 Arm/mns.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE..

IVILLIAM E. DYRE, OF VASI-IINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,492, dated October 28, 1890.

Application filed May 22, 1890. Serial No. 352,730. (No modela To all whom, t may concern:

Beitknown that IVILLIAM E. DYRE, a citizens of the United States, residing at vWashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signals; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, suoli as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to signals, particularly to that class known as pneumatic signals, and is designed for use on vehicles in general, though principally on bicycles, to which it is especially adapted.

It has among its objects the production of a cheap, durable, and attractive device capable of automatically sounding an alarm, when desired, with a marked degree of promptness and efficiency.

The invention will be hereinafter described, and partiularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which Vform part of this specification, Figure l represents a side view of a bicycle with my invention applied in operative position; Fig. 2, a front view of the signal; Fig. 3, a side view thereof; Fig. 4, a central vertical section of same, and Fig. 5, a front view of an operatil'ig-lever applied to the handle-bar of a bicycle.

Reference being had te the drawings and the letters thereon, A represents a cylinder, preferably of cast metal, open at one end, as shown in Fig. 4, and having an annular enlargement or bead a encircling the periphery of its open end. Cast integral therewith is a projection B, located on the back of the cylinder and extending from the extreme top to near the bottom thereof, having a dat face, as Z9, and provided with parallel apertures C C, piercing it from end to end, and serving to secure the device in position. Y

To the head of cylinder A, immediately above an opening c therein, is secured a whistle D, or signal of any description, while over the opposite end of said cylinder' is fitted an elastic diaphragm E, held in position by a metallic ring F, having a concave inner surface d, adapted to engage bead a. on the cylinder with the elastic diaphragm between.

To one side of the cylinder is riveted or otherwise secured a bracket of cast-steel G, having an outward bend e at a point slightly above the open end of the cylinder to afford space for the adjustment of ring F. Extending downward a suitable distance said bracket doubles itself about one-third of its entire length, at which point it makes another angle toward the center, terminating in an enlargement 1l, drilled, as at f, to afford a bearing for a reciprocating rod, as will hereinafter appear.

Near the lower extremity of bracket G, in the two parallel members thereof, is loosely journaled an axle g, forming part of wheel I, which is encircled by a rubber tire 7L, as shown.

On the face of wheel I, eccentrically located, is a wristpin t', which engages a link J, formed on the lower end of rod J for the purpose of converting the circular motion of wheel I into a reciprocating movement of rod J. This rod J passes through aperture f, which affords it a substantial bearing, and terminates in a screw-cap j, serving' as a plunger when the signal is in use.

The construction of my invention being substantially as described', a convenient application of it to a bicycle is that illustrated by Figs. l and 5 of the drawings, whereby the lampbracket K is utilized as a support for the signal. The bracket being formed of unusual length, with the additional material in the two ends below the customary bindingscrew bent up as at 7a 7c and passing through apertures C C of the signal, thus permitting a Vertical movementof the latter on theforiner,

which movement is controlled by a lever L, fulcrumed on the handle-bar of the machine, similar in all respects to thel brake-lever except that the dependent rod Z encirclesand ist,

secured to the head of the cylinderA instead of communicating with the brake. The attachment having been thus eitected, the signal remains normally in the position shown by Fig. 5, under the influence of the spring on the handle-bar. In this location the de-I vice is subjected to the least possible vibration, an advantage readily appreciated by wheelmen who have realized the annoyance IOO of a bell secured to lthe handle-bar of a machine, where the maximum vibration occurs, loosening the parts of the bell which, as a natural result, then rattle.

At the will of the rider my improved signal is set in operation as follows: The lever L is grasped by the fingers on the left hand of the rider and drawn toward the handle-baragainst the action of the spring, thus communicating a downward motion to the rod l and the signal secured thereto, until the tire 7ion wheel I comes in frictional contact with the rubber tire of the front wheel of the machine. The machine being in motion, wheel I will now revolve more or less rapidly according to its size, thrusting the plunger j into elastic diaphragm E, which is thus stretched, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4:, forcing the air from the cylinder A through a whistle or other signal D in a rapid succession of blasts, after which lever L may be released. The signal will then automatically disengage, at the same time resetting itself for future action, the latter result being due to the elasticity of diaphragm E, the constant tendency of which is to eject plunger j from the cylinder and leave it in readiness for a full and eective stroke the instant a signal may be desired.

As herein stated, preference is given, as far as is expedient, to casting in the construction of the device; but I by no means limit myself to this form, as the cylinder A could advantageously be made from a section of tubing provided with a screw-cap bearing the signal, or spun up from sheet metal, in which latter case lone half of a whistle of the flat form could be made integral therewith, the other half being soldered below; nor do I limit myself 'to a bracket, as G, of a particular material or shape, as any means of supporting the friction-wheel I for operating the plunger j may be employed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my'invention, what I claim isl. The herein-described pneumatic signal, consisting of an air-chamber having one end formed of an elastic diaphragm and a windinstrument connected with said chamber, whereby the air within the chamber can be made to render a signal upon the wind-instrument by force applied to the diaphragm in one direction only.

.2= The herein-described combination of an air-chamber, a wind-instrument connected therewith, an elastic diaphragm closing one end of said air-chamber, and a reciprocating plunger for impacting against the diaphragm.

3. The herein-described pneumatic signal, consisting of an air-chamber having one end formed of an elastic diaphragm, a.windin strument connected with said chamber, and a plunger having a convex head for impacting against the diaphragm.

4. The herein-described combination of a wind-instrument, an air-chamber provided with a head, a band adapted to engage the head, and an elastic diaphragm held between said band and head adapted to receive the impact of a plunger for driving the air from the cylinder through the wind-instrument, rendering a signal thereupon.

5. The herein-described combination of an air-chamber having one end closed by an elastic diaphragm, a wind-instrument connected with said chamber, a reciprocating plunger impacting against one side of the said diaphragm, and a bracket connected with said chamber forming a guide for the said plunger.

6. The herein-described pneumatic signal for bicycles, consisting of the air-chamber, a wind -instrument connected therewith, the elastic diaphragm closing one end of said airchamber, and a reciprocating actuating de vice, one end of which is in close proximity with said diaphragm but not connected thereto, said reciprocating device also held from being thrown out of its closed relation with said diaphragm by momentum.

7. The herein-described pneumatic signal for bicycles, consisting of the air-chamber having one end closed by an elastic dia phragm and its opposite end communicating with the open air through a wind-instrument, of a reciprocating lactuating device having one end in close proximity to the said diaphragm, said reciprocating device adapted to receive motion from one wheel of the bicycle, and together with the air-chamber movable into and out of operative position in respect thereto.

8. The hereindescribed pneumatic signal for bicycles, consisting of the air-chamber having one end closed by an elastic diaphragm and communicating with the open air at its other end through a wind-instrument, and a reciprocating actuating device having -a convex surf-ace in close proximity to said diaphragm but not connected thereto, said actuating device being held from being thrown out of its close relation to said dia phragm by momentum.

9. The herein-described combination of a bicycle provided with a lamp-bracket having its lower end bent up, a signal supported upon said bracket, a signal-operating mechanism, and means for throwing the latter in and out of contact with one wheel.

10. The herein-described combination of a pneumatic signal, a bicycle provided with `a lamp-bracket having its lower ends bent up, averticallymovablesignalsecuredthereoman operating mechanism, and means for 'throwing the signal in and out of frictional 4contact with the periphery of one wheel.

1l. The herein-described combination of ,a pneumatic signal, a bicycle provided with a lamp-bracket having its lower end bent up, an air-chamber provided with a projection thereon pierced by an aperture for engaging the lamp-bracl et, an elastic diaphragm, a

wind-instrument, operating mechanism, and

TOO

IIO

oiproeated on said bracket to move it into and ro out of operative position.

In testimony whereof I afx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WM. E. DYRE.

Witnesses:

D. C. REINoHL, L. P. WHITAKER. 

